ABSOLUTISMOUTSIDE OF THE

WEST

Gunpowder, Isolation, and Power

THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES Ottomans, Safavids, and

Mughals

THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES

Known for their modern militaries and extensive use of professional soldiers, three large and powerful Muslim empires dominated the area between the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Indian subcontinent.

Collectively, these empires are often referred to as the Gunpowder Empires.

Included:

The Ottoman Empire → Anatolia

The Safavid Empire → Persia

The Mughal Empire → India

OTTOMAN EMPIRE

(1300 TO 1922 CE)

Founded by a Turkic group initially allied with the Seljuk Turks

Sunni Muslims, initially nomadic

Granted territory in Anatolia by the Seljuks for helping to fight against the Byzantines

Empire begun by Osman I → Turks settle down, become agriculturalists, begin expanding

OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Ottoman territory expands as the Byzantines and Seljuk Turks weaken

Control over the Balkans give the Ottomans diverse populations → degree of religious tolerance, although non-Muslims had to pay an additional tax

Development of jannisaries → professional soldiers drawn from Christian communities

Policy called devshirme

Conquered Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire

Most important leader = Suleiman I (The Magnificent)

Conquests go all the way to Hungary and Austria in the 1600s

SAFAVID EMPIREFounded by a religious brotherhood associated with Shi’a Islam in Azerbaijan, the Safavid Empire spread into Persia, bordered by the Ottomans, Mughals, and Uzbek tribal groups.

Safavids were religious rivals of their Sunni neighbors → frequently at war

Developed a VERY strong military

Most important leaders

Isma’il→ conquered Persia, first Safavid leader to adopt the traditional Persian title of shah (king)

Abbas the Great → reformed the military, taking the Ottoman janissaries as his model

Reformed the government, hiring officials on the basis of competence and loyalty

Strong connections with European nations, particularly those that did not like the Ottomans

MUGHAL EMPIRETurkic Muslim forces attacked into India in the 12th century, establishing a loose confederation of kingdoms in the north of the subcontinent known as the Delhi Sultanate.

Babur, descendant of Genghis Khan, conquered the north of India in 1525, establishing the Mughal Empire.

Established dominance by using cannons for the first time in India

Most important leader → Abu Akbar (Akbar the Great)

Conquered much of the rest of the Indian subcontinent

Remarkably religiously tolerant → eliminated the tax on non-Muslims; hired Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, Jewish, Jain, Sikh, and Shi’ite advisors

Used a graduated tax system that was fair to the poor

MUGHAL EMPIREFamous for it’s remarkable artistic contributions in portraiture, book illustrations, and architecture

Blended traditional Muslim forms, native Indian styles, and European Renaissancetechniques

Subsequent leaders spent heavily, and expanded their conquest of India

Led to massive debt, and an increase in taxes

Failure to invest in agricultural development led to widespread famine

Aurangzeb → later Mughal emperor, came to power by assassinating his older brother and imprisoning his father

NOT religiously tolerant → believed that the crumbling of the Mughal empire was due to “infidels”

Reinstated the tax on non-Muslims, destroyed Hindu temples

Hindu communities began rebelling against the Mughals, leading to a loss of power